by Cheng Xizhong

 

Recently, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Poverty Alleviation and Social Safety Dr. Sania Nishtar expressed her satisfaction over successful efforts of the government to help the poor cope with Covid-19 difficulties. The government`s care has reached out to the homes of 15 million labor class people affected by the pandemic.

 

Due to various reasons, poverty in Pakistan has been quite serious, with 40% of the population below the poverty line. Pakistan media analysis believes that the main reasons are weak economic growth, rising food prices, high unemployment rate and cautious private investment for decades. The pandemic has aggravated the situation.

 

Since Imran Khan came to power, he has been committed to the eradication of poverty and regards it as the top priority of his ruling. The Imran Khan administration has attached great importance to people's livelihood and timely launched the Ehsaas poverty alleviation program. The government has provided financial assistance to about 7 million poor women to foster their full participation in in all walks of life, which has won extensive recognition by the international community.

 

I remember that on April 1 last year, Prime Minister Imran Khan launched Ehsaas Emergency Cash Program in the context of the economic hardship experienced by the vulnerable due to the coronavirus crisis. The financial assistance under the program was meant to help them buy rations so that they didn’t go hungry. The program covered more than 15 million families.

 

Recently, Prime Minister Imran Khan launched “No One Sleeps Hungry Program”. As per the program, the government offers direct financial assistance to the poor people so that they can buy food and other essential items.

 

As I see, the unremitting efforts of the Imran Khan administration to help the poor embody the idea of his governing for the people to realize the people's wishes, meet the people's needs and safeguard the people's interests.

 

At the same time, I believe that the key to eradicate poverty lies in development. Bill Gates once advocated raising chicken to help the poor. Chicken raising seems to be a simple matter, but once a fixed mode is formed, farmers can continue to operate on their own, form a self-circulation procedure, and form a good and sustainable development mode.

 

Therefore, we should promote the "hematopoietic" poverty alleviation, fully mobilize the enthusiasm, initiative and creativity of the poor people, persist in cultivating their awareness and skills, and stimulate their endogenous power to get rid of poverty.

 

Cheng Xizhong, Visiting Professor at Southwest University of Political Science and Law，Senior Fellow of the Charhar Institute, former Defense Attache in South Asian countries